BODY: Members of the outlawed China Democracy Party (CDP) are planning the first open
gathering of pro-democracy activists since last December's crackdown on
dissent, a rights group said Thursday.

A
"discussion forum" is being planned in the central city of Wuhan for March
1 to 3, the Washington-based
Free China Movement Network said in a statement.

"The subject is to study the two International Covenants (on human rights) the
Chinese government has signed but has yet to ratify in the People's Congress," the statement said, adding that the group would also suggest changes to
Chinese law.

CDP founder Wang Youcai, together with Qin Yongmin and Xu Wenli, who were also
involved in attempts to register the fledgling opposition party, were sentenced
to 11, 12, and 13 years respectively last December on charges of subversion and
attempting to overthrow the state.

The jailings signalled the start of a crackdown that later saw the imprisonment
of labour activist Zhang Shanguang for 10
years, and the trial of returned overseas dissident Wang Ce, charged with
endangering state security.

Chinese President Jiang Zemin has repeatedly emphasized the need for stability
this year with the central government increasingly jittery about the upcoming
10th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre and the 50th anniversary of
the Chinese
Communist regime.

Jiang vowed in December to
"nip in the bud" any signs of instability or social unrest.